Tour de Mekong Delta, Day 1
03.02.2009 
85 °F
So apparently Lance Armstrong has a long lost Vietnamese brother named Chinh who works as a tour guide for Innoviet tours here in Saigon...Back to this later.
Exploring the Mekong Delta
Saturday, November 24, 2007
from http://stevestrampabroad.blogspot.com/2007/11/mekong-delta.html
The Mekong (Mother of all Rivers) rises high on the Tibetan plateau, and runs 4,800km through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia before it finally enters the South China Sea through the Mekong delta, where it is known to the Vietnamese as the river of nine dragons as it braids into nine estuaries.My task is to explore this fertile Vietnamese ricebowl, and in true serendipitous fashion I stumble on to the Innoviet travel agency just down the road from my hotel, which runs an overnight homestay tour involving cycling! Even better, their next tour leaves tomorrow, and I'll be joining a group of six others. Excellent - I can meet more fellow travellers (always easier in a group tour), and sneak in before the storm heads our way. I quickly part with $48 and look forward to two days of new adventure.
SujiTimes - 2 days Mekong Delta April 2008
I was thinking along some odd parallel lines. Both the rural and urban landscapes of Vietnam are lush, colorful, crammed with detail and texture and color.
A wonderful tour of the Mekong Delta
This some hesitation, I signed up for a three day tour of the Mekong Delta. The tour company--Innoviet Travel Company--is young, enthusiastic, and overcame my doubts about signing up for a tour that costs twice as much as large tours from large companies.
Innoviet puts together two and three day trips to the Mekong Delta. They take you off the tourist path to places not reached by large tour groups. They handle only 2--8 people per tour; you travel by van, bicycle, foot, and mostly small boat. They really know how to do this and will give you a unique experience close to the people of the delta.
Some samples: Floating markets early in the morning on the Mekong, the land-based markets for breakfast and lunch, small boats on small canals looking in on the lives of farmers, a wonderful long bike ride greeted by the "hello's" of children and seeing high school girls in their traditional Ao Dai costumes, preparing a meal together with your host family perhaps accompanied by a little rice wine, sleeping under mosquito netting and rising to the cool of the morning. And all of this with the help of an attentive young guide who really cares that you have a special experience. This was the highlight of my eight days in Vietnam.
And, do not be surprised to be working with this staff that is stronger in their enthusiasm than in their English. This can lead to some confusion so please check and recheck on what will happen when. But have no doubt that they will give you a great trip--much better than you can get with the large tour companies than book 20--40+ people per bus. With Innoviet, you are dealt with as an individual, not as one of a crowd. You will remember this special trip!
From pugetseatttle/ trip advisor forum
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What Lonely Planet doesn’t tell you, we do!
Ach nee.
Da hat sich aber jemand was vorgenommen und wir haben das mal ausprobiert 
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